Search

Aim: To compare growth in individuals with cyclin‐dependent kinase‐like 5 (CDKL5) deficiency disorder with population norms and to investigate the effect of gastrostomy on growth. Method: The longitudinal study included 353 individuals from the International CDKL5 Disorder Database with any anthropometric measurement in baseline and/or follow‐up questionnaires. The British 1990 growth reference was used to determine the age‐ and sex‐standardized z‐score. Repeated cross‐sectional data were fitted using a Gaussian linear regression model with generalized estimating equations. Results: All growth parameters were below the general population norm (mean z‐scores: weight −0.97, height −0.65, body mass index [BMI] −0.81, head circumference −2.12). The disparity was particularly pronounced for all anthropometric measurements after 4 years of age except for BMI. Moreover, individuals with gastrostomy placement were shown to have a larger decrease than those without. Interpretation: In addition to weight, height, and BMI, head circumference was also compromised in this disorder. Microcephaly could be considered a helpful diagnostic feature, especially in adults. Any benefit of gastrostomy on weight and BMI was mainly seen in the early years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to predict oral health behaviour (OHB) using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and determine its influence on oral health status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among subjects attending the outpatient department of a tertiary dental hospital in India. Methods: A pre-validated questionnaire was used among 240 randomly selected study subjects to record their demographic details, attitudes (Att), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behaviour control (PBC) with regard to dietary habits (DH), oral hygiene habits (OH) and dental attendance (DA) behaviours. OHRQoL and oral health status of study participants were recorded using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment Form (2013), respectively. Multivariate analysis was performed after the necessary bivariate comparisons. Results: Among demographic characteristics, the Socioeconomic status (SES) of the study subjects highly influenced their DH and OH (P < 0.05). DA was largely affected by the age of the study subjects (P < 0.05). While attitude of the study participants greatly affected their DH, PBC largely influenced their OH and DA behaviours (P < 0.05). The OHRQoL and Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) levels were strongly influenced by the participants' DA behaviours (P < 0.05). Conclusions: DMFT scores and OHRQoL were highly influenced by DA behaviour besides others. DA instead was influenced by PBC. Hence, there needs to be a conscious shift towards strengthening the skills of the population to promote oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The study was carried out to assess and compare the oral health status and oral health-related quality of life among tobacco factory workers and cotton ginning mill workers in Guntur city, Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried among 160 tobacco factory workers and 160 cotton ginning mill workers aged 25–55 years. A simple random sampling methodology was used. The data were collected using a questionnaire and clinical examination. The questionnaire gathered information on demographic factors, factors related to the working environment, adverse habits of the study subjects and oral health-related quality of life using Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). The subjects were clinically examined to assess their oral health status using WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (2013). Results The prevalences among tobacco factory workers and among cotton ginning mill workers, respectively, were: tobacco chewing habit 38.1% and 15%; periodontal pockets 47.5% and 31.25%; loss of attachment 56.8% and 28.7%; oral mucosal lesions 13.8% and 3.8%; while the corresponding mean OHIP-14 scores were 20.81±11.59 and 16.29±9.67. All results were found to be significantly higher among tobacco factory workers compared to cotton ginning mill workers (p

Objective: To identify Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and related oncogenic and virulent proteins (CagA and VacA) in patients with gingivitis, periodontitis, oral cancer and gastric cancer. Methods: Subgingival plaque samples were collected from 90 individuals with either gingivitis/periodontitis (group A, n = 30), oral cancer (group B, n = 30) and gastric cancer (group C, n = 30). H. pylori was identified by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). The virulent organisms were detected by identification of proteins CagA and VacA through Enzyme Linked Immuno‐Sorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: We identified the presence of H. pylori in subgingival plaque samples among a large majority (76/90) of our study cohort. The proportions of CagA and VacA identified among H. pylori individuals with periodontal inflammation and oral cancer were lower than those diagnosed with gastric cancer. Furthermore, the relative risk of oral cancer based on the presence of the organism was no different to those with gingivitis/periodontitis. Conclusion: The findings of our study do not indicate significant association between the organism and oral cancer, but preludes that the oral cavity could act as a potential niche for H. pylori. The possibility for CagA and VacA proteins to be pathogenic in oral cavity is highly possible and must be researched extensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : To describe trends, age, and sex-specific patterns of population hospital admissions with a diagnosis of craniosynostosis (CS) in Australia. Data Source : Population data for hospital separations (in-patient) from public and private hospitals (July 1996-June 2018) were obtained from the publicly available Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Hospital Morbidity Database. Main outcome measures : The outcome variables were hospital separation rates (HSR) (number of hospital separations divided by the estimated resident population [ERP] per year) and average length of stay (aLOS) (patient days divided by the number of hospital separations) with a diagnosis of CS. Trends in HSR and aLOS adjusted for age, sex, and type of CS were investigated by negative binomial regression presented as annual percent change (APC). Results : In 8057 admissions identified, we observed no significant change in the annual trend for HSR for the 22-year period. However, a marginal annual decrease of 1.6% (95% CI: -0.7, -2.4) in the aLOS was identified for the same time period. HSR were higher for males, infants, and single suture synostosis. aLOS was 3.8 days (95% CI: 3.8, 3.9) per visit, longer for syndromic conditions. Conclusion : There was a minor reduction in the average length of hospital stay for CS over the 22-year period potentially indicative of improved care. Population-level information on hospitalisations for rare craniofacial conditions can inform research, clinical, and surgical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all prospective of life have been affected by the situation. As a result of which, many universities adopted the online way of teaching instead of the traditional classroom teaching or by blending both together. This study was carried out with the objective to assess the perception of teachers and students regarding classes taken online versus those taken in the classroom. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among students and faculty members of the medical college at Majmaah University, KSA, from October 2020 to April 2021. Results: The study found that the majority of teachers have disagreed (91%) that online classes were more effective than classroom mode, and regarding the overall perception of teachers for classes taken online and in the classroom, 62% of teachers agreed that online classes were better than classroom mode, whereas 38% disagreed; 61% of students agreed that online classes were better than classroom mode, and 39% disagreed. Conclusion: Educational institutions should be ready to handle pandemic-like situations without disrupting educational activities and to achieve this, appropriate training of the faculty members and students should be carried out to make online teaching effective and also to minimise any associated disturbing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is a pillar of the envisioned Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and a subset of Mobile Ad Hoc Network that grants the communication in between the vehicles alongside with the absence of established communication infrastructure. Exposure to vulnerabilities of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) has been shown to be related to its nature of the environmental. For this reason, VANET security becomes a critical challenge that need to be resolved. In this paper, we assess the VANET security issues and discuss the challenges in VANET. Equally important, we comparatively review the security requirements, the type of attacks and capabilities of attackers present in VANET.

This study investigated dental hospitalisations in Western Australian (WA) children with intellectual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged up to 18 years. Data on WA live births from 1983 to 2004 from the WA Midwives Notification System were linked to the Intellectual Disability Exploring Answers database, the WA Hospital Morbidity Data System, and the Western Australian Birth Defects Registry databases. Children were followed from birth to 2010 and the data grouped into three age-groups. Primary and secondary admissions for relevant dental diagnoses were identified and factors associated with having a dental hospitalisation investigated. There were 1366, 1596, and 780 dental hospitalisations amongst 1122, 1154, and 609 children with ID and/or ASD in the 0–6, >6–12, and >12–18 year age groups, respectively. Children with severe ID were much more likely to be hospitalised than those with mild/moderate ID. More socioeconomically disadvantaged children were less likely to be hospitalised than children whose parents were socially advantaged. There is concern that more vulnerable children in the WA community with ID or ASD are receiving an inadequate level of dental services compared with other groups resulting in potentially preventable hospitalisations, a situation in need of urgent remediation. Little is known about why some children with intellectual disability (ID) or autism are being hospitalised for their dental care and others are not. Children with disability whose families are socioeconomically disadvantaged should have equivalent opportunity to receive optimal dental care. Dental practitioners at all levels need training and confidence in treating children with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]